President George Vella called for greater respect for construction workers and those who work in harsh conditions on Friday, saying some were working in “pitiful” situations.

Opposition leader Adrian Delia echoed the calls for better working conditions, saying that workers were being sacrificed at the altar of competitiveness between companies. 

The two leaders were speaking at a conference on the future of work, organised to mark 100 years since the International Labour Organisation was founded.

The President insisted workers’ health could not be compromised for the interests of those who employ them.

The humanity of workers needed to remain a focal point, Dr Vella noted, adding that Malta’s biggest resource was its workers.

Workers used to previously be considered as a “machine”, leading to unrealistic expectations of production – and shifts that did not take into account people’s natural biological clock, he said. 

The results, Dr Vella said, were obvious. The situation led to less efficiency, people lying about taking sick leave and tense industrial relations, he added.

Echoing similar concerns, Dr Delia said authorities needed to ensure workplaces were more adequate.

The country has to prepare itself for the rapid changes in the workforce, Dr Delia said. Various sectors, including the infrastructural and educational sectors, needed to ensure they were ready for change, Dr Delia said.

Workplaces could soon come to an end, he warned, as more people chose to work from home. There will no longer be the physical environment at work that people were accustomed to, the Opposition leader noted.  

“It’s time to start thinking about a change in mentality – where education is the same everywhere,” Dr Delia said. 

By the time many finished studying, what they had learnt would have become obsolete. 

Turning to pensions, the Opposition leader said the country had a crisis that no one wanted to face. This was not a problem that was caused by one government but by successive administrations, he said. Dr Delia called for pensions to be sustainable in the long-term.

Growth brought loopholes to light - Muscat

Prime Minister Joseph Muscat said only a few employers were breaching regulations. Economic growth had brought to light loopholes in EU directives that Malta had transposed years, he said.

Some employers were trying to circumvent regulations to try and take advantage of both Maltese and foreign workers, he said, adding this was creating an imbalance in the workforce.

He also said seven out of 10 people on the benefit tapering scheme continued to work even when they stopped receiving benefits. Admitting he had had apprehensions about the scheme, Dr Muscat said he was ultimately happy the government had taken the step.

The benefit tapering scheme provides support to people who have been receiving un-employment assistance, social assistance or single parent benefits, helping them to enter the employment market.

Dr Muscat said that the gender pay gap was worsened by women entering the workforce. 

“I prefer this problem to not having women working,” he said, adding that the kind of work women did would now need to be taken into account.